There has been a bit of a buzz in the news about antibiotic resistance lately. Just this month the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came out with new guidelines for giving children antibiotics for the common cold. Last month the CDC announced an Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, a diarrhea-causing "Superbug" as a fast-growing killer bacteria they considered to be classified as an "urgent public-health threat" in the United States.

Yikes! That doesn't sound good. So maybe you're wondering, "What exactly is antibiotic resistance?" or "What causes it and what can we do about it?" Well let's get started...

Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are medicines that fight or prevent infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics cannot fight infection caused by viruses.

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. Basically, this occurs when bacteria in your body mutate allowing them to survive and continue to live and reproduce. As the bacteria evolve they then pass on this ability to build defenses against antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance occurs as a result of the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

Let me give you an example. Ten years ago when my daughter was two years old I went to the doctor because she was sick. She'd had a fever for a few days, a cough, and a stuffy nose - all the typical signs of the common cold. I was a worried young mother and I didn't quite know what I could do to help her feel better. I was concerned that she might have an ear infection.

After the doctor did the usual procedure of taking her temperature, checking her throat, listening to her heart, and looking in her ears he said, "I don't see any redness in her ears. It's probably just a virus but I'll give you a perscription for some antibiotics and if she gets any worse you can get it filled."

It is this type of casual use of antibiotics that has created the antibiotic resistant era that we are entering right now. Remember antibiotics are NOT effective in killing a virus and can do more harm than good if used for anything other than a bacterial infection.

Alternatives to Antibiotics

Essential oils are a powerful solution to the problem created by the miss use of antibiotics. Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They not only give the plants their distinctive smells, but essential oils provide plants with protection against predators and disease as well. Many essential oils are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-fungal.

Oregano essential oil has been scientifically researched and tested and found to be very effective at killing bacterial infection. There is one essential oil company called, doTerra Essential Oil that has a "blend" of oils called OnGuard which has been scientifically tested to kill MRSA. Not even the strongest antibiotic, Vancomycin is as effective as this oil from DoTerra.

Conclusion

With all the hype about "superbugs" and "antibiotic resistance" it's nice to know that essential oils provide a very powerful and real alternative to antibiotics and are just as powerful and potent as modern medicine.